For me this man was a hero , (I wish i could have got claret tony to write this as he would have made it perfect)
Born in Burnley, livid there for 95 of his 99 years his name was Charles Granville Brown
He grew up in the Abel street area of the town, attended Burnley Gramer school just off Church street Bly
he went to war a 21 yr old boy, came back a man with mental scares only soldiers can comprehend he landed on the beaches of france D Day plus 6 hrs that means he was there early. when i asked him why he jumped off a pefectrly good boat into the hell of war his matter of fact answer was ''it was there to be done'' he was in europe for 4years, He got leave several times and on one of his leaves he married Margaret Eastwood, in 1959 they addopted me and was brought up as if I was there flesh and blood.
As a claret fan he was at the Battle of Naploi some of his close friend were Bill Holden, Harry Potts (who called at our house in the 60s on numerous occasions.)
And as I sort through some of his personal things I found the ticket stub of when we went to Wembly against stockport I did not know he had it.
We used to go on the truf together in the 60s and 70s until as a 16 yr old i went with my mates. in later years he would come on with me several times a year and we went to some away games, York when we gained promotion, Liverpool fa cup with aidren heath as manager
In the 90s we used to got to most home games. his last games he went to would be some 7 yrs or so in the premier ship nut he fell going in and although we were helped by stewards and fans bith ti his seat and on leaving he did not go again, but after every home game as I drove home to Rishton he would ring me and quote the stats,

Through out my 63 years he has been there for me no matter what stupid or good things Ive done, all he asked was that I took owner ship of things id done right or wrong.
He pased away yesterday morning, he was in Sheltered accomodation At st marys gate burnley
The scheme manager spoke to him at 9 am as she did every day, asked him how he was his reply was ''' if you had not rung me id be eating my porridge''
!hr later hed passed away, with no pain.
Last night after we had won the game as I stood to leave I shed tears as I realised that id be going home with no phone call to say the stats Chris the stats 43% percent possesion only 6 shots on targte and Southampton could have scored 3 or 4 goals , to which I would have replied there are only 2 stats that matter 2;0 and 3 pts.
And whilst I type this I wish a proper wordsmith had written it as, I feel I cant put down what he meant to me, he loved me and I loved him and will miss hom so much, but I know he would say your a man son get on with it, and I will I just ask if you have moment to raise a glass or a cup and say cheers to my hero my DAD

That’s a lovely tribute and you’ve done a great job in writing that. Very moving, you must have been so proud of him.

Cheers!

To your Dad.

Lovely tribute.

thank you

Hi pure, that's a brilliant tribute to your Dad. Yes, our Dads are our heroes.

My deepest condolences.

Last time I took my Dad on the Turf, he/we needed the assistance of several to help him down the steps in the JHU. That was 2006 or 2007, before we'd ever imagined we'd play Premier League. He passed 12 years ago this month.

RIP pureclaret's Dad

paul sorry for your loss, thank you for your comments

Lovely tribute, well written.

Sorry for your loss

That is an outstanding tribute to your dad pureclaret, it's obvious you had a very close bond.
And no one else could or should have written that, they were your own personal emotions in every word.
RIP to your dad.

It's not easy to put into words how you feel about someone who you've lost but you put it very well and you should be proud of yourself, I'm sure your dad is. Stay strong Pure Claret and good on you.

Well said sir , i would say your dad will always be proud of you looking down from above

Fantastic story of your hero, your Dad, I certainly raise my glass to him tonight. God bless him, thanks for his service during terrible times of war, and well done for making you who you are today.

May he rest in peace, and he can read those stats in his new home.

UTC

You are a proper wordsmith Pureclaret, a very moving and well written tribute to your Dad, a true hero in every sense of the word.

As a Claret for 50 odd years, I've loved introducing my 9 year old grandson to the ups and downs of being a BFC season ticket holder this year and I'd like to think when I'm no longer around he'll remember our times together with the same affection and respect you've expressed.

Thakyou guys i shall now go to bed happy that there are heros in all our familys xxx

Lovely words from the heart. Really sorry for your loss.

I think the mark of a wordsmith is the ability to move the reader and I’d challenge anyone to read your post and not be moved by it. It was a wonderful tribute to someone who was clearly a huge part of your life and will be missed terribly.

Thanks so much for sharing that. It was sad and lovely at the same time and I mean that in the best possible sense.

You did him proud.

Sorry for your loss.

I shed a tear too after reading that. A wonderful tribute to a man who lived a full life.
RIP your Dad.

A fantastic tribute pureclaret, you did your father proud with it. So sorry for your loss.

Very,very moving and a wonderful tribute written from the heart. In your grief,remember no one can take any of those memories away from you and they will remain with you for ever.

That was a beautiful tribute to your Dad and very moving. Although in one way he is no longer with you, in your thoughts and in your memories he will always still be with you.
You had a remarkable Dad.
Stay strong.

A wonderful tribute.
I am sure he was as proud of you as you are of him.
I am very sorry for your loss.

No need to apologise for that, pureclaret. As others have said, words from the heart are always beautiful. As I write, I'll admit, I shed a tear for you and your dad.

My condolences to you. Sounds like you have lots of fond memories to look back on which, in time, will make you smile, too, when you think about your dad.

Cheers to you and your dad. No one could have written that better or with more love and heart.

That was a very well-written tribute, beautifully put. All the best

Deepest condolences on your loss PureClaret. Sounds a wonderful man, you were lucky he found you.

My father passed away in July and I too miss discussions about football mainly always Burnley with him and that brought a tier to my eye. Great bit of heart felt writing

That gave me a proper lump in my throat. You didn't need a wordsmith. It was a superb tribute to a hero. RIP

Words written from the heart. A fitting tribute to your hero. RIP PureClarets dad.

They are your own words and they say all there is to say. A perfect, loving tribute to a fine old hero.

pureclaret. That was a lovely tribute to your Dad. Without doubt he was a hero and I would like to thank him for what he did for his country, a very brave man indeed at such a young age. Lovely memories you write and I’m sure he will be very proud of you. My sincere condolences to you and your family. Rest in peace Mr Brown.

Incredibly moving and, beautifully expressed tribute to your dad.
R.I.P

May he rest in peace

As someone who goes to the games with his dad and speaks on the phone about the matches after almost every away game this moved me a lot.

A brilliant tribute

A simply beautiful tribute.

I don't think anybody could have written that any better.
It came across perfectly.

Heartfelt and well written. Condolences on your loss.

I list my beloved dad too soon, but - as me - you will remember him for the rest of your life.

Your task is now to ensure that some day you inspire someone to write the same about yourself once your time comes.

UTC

That is a beautiful tribute,one only you could write.

I've got tears in my eyes after reading that.
Your dad would be very proud of you.

That's a great tribute Pureclaret, one you should be very proud of writing, it was very emotional just to read it.
All the best to you Pureclaret.
RIP Mr Brown.

Tears in my eyes reading this ....
Don't even think about " wordsmiths ", the love & respect you had for this man shone through every word you wrote, I found it extremely moving, even more so because I'm a Dad who adopted my wife's son, 32 years ago ..

My condolences to you and your loved ones ...

A lovely tribute Chris. He sounded a remarkable man your dad bless him.
May he rest in peace.

That was very well said, pureclaret. It's clear to see how much he meant to you. All I can add is my condolences and that I will raise my glass of whisky tonight to your dad. UTC.

Wonderful words.

Will be thinking of you. Thank you for sharing
Peace and love.
utc

God bless your Dad may he rest peacefully.

Fancy stuff not needed just the truth of your feelings - words written from your heart, that is so obvious. May you find comfort in your memories and your dad RIP

Wonderful moving tribute to an amazing man.
What a life he had. Take care. RIP.

Just to add, my Dad did exactly the same, he would ring after every game with all the stats and usually added the words “we were robbed” even after we’d been trashed! I really miss these calls now over 10 years on.
God bless your Dad may he rest peacefully.

You needed no one else to write your tribute - I’m sure that your Dad would be immensely proud of you and the tribute that you’ve paid to him.

Condolences to you and your family and my very best wishes to you, PureClaret.

Wonderful tribute, which brought a tear to my eye. Nobody could have written it better, because it came from the heart.

My deepest condolences to you and your family. RIP

A very moving tribute to your Dad. Brilliantly written.

You don’t need a wordsmith at all pureclaret. You have got it absolutely spot on.

My dad took me to the Turf many years ago and he was always waiting for my thoughts when I got home from an away game.

So sorry to hear of your sad loss, but your dad has left you with so many wonderful memories. Keep those memories with you always.